


Draw Near and Fear Not

by BoPeepWithNoSheep



Series: I Saw Seven Wordless Ones [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Balance (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Gen, Non-Linear Narrative, feeblemind(sort of)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 06:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16759495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoPeepWithNoSheep/pseuds/BoPeepWithNoSheep
Summary: Snapshots from Lucretia's wordless one au.





	Draw Near and Fear Not

**Author's Note:**

> this is basically a place for me to write snapshots of events from voided!Lucretia's timeline from I Saw Seven Wordless Ones because that chapter caught me by the heartstrings and dragged me in. For context it IS necessary to at least read the last chapter of the first fic, though I hope you'll read the entire thing! These will be completely non-linear, just jumping around to wherever I feel like writing though I'll do my best to provide some context for anything that needs it. If you have any requests for specific scenes or prompts you can send them to me on tumblr @bopeepwritingsheep

He wants to leave the goddamn plane in the fucking dust, light of creation be _damned_. 

He wants his sisters back but both of them are too fucking heroic and self-sacrificing for their own good. Lup’s lost to him physically, off on her dumb journey to clean up their stupid mess which he can struggle through existing with because there's a chance he'll find her if he just looks hard enough--but _Lucretia_. 

It’s easier when she’s sleeping, and she sleeps a lot. Sleeps anywhere and everywhere so long as one of them are in the room. He thinks it’s a side effect of her spell being two parts feeblemind and one part some kind of abjuration spell nullifying _bullshit_. She can identify her family, feels safe with them and thus inclined to remain nearby. 

She sure as _fuck_ can’t do much else though.

Being around her is difficult, Magnus, of course, makes it his goddamn duty to stay by her side every waking moment he’s able. However, he’s also the one who’s the most insistent that they start collecting the relics, for Lucretia and Lup, but Taako feels just the smallest twinge of bitterness about that. How Magnus hadn’t been this desperate until _his_ little sister vanished. Which isn’t fair, Taako knows that the whole crew had been devastated to lose Lup, but it’s still different for them. 

Barry is the closest to understanding, but even he’s distracted from his search for Lup as they all sift through Lucretia’s literal pile of _hundreds_ of journals. 

“You know, a few of ‘em, her theories I mean, they make sense but they just won’t work!” Barry is frustrated beyond belief, practically tearing his hair out even as he pours over the books. They’ve got them divided into sections, each of them reading eighty of Lucretia’s journals then swapping, “You can’t just cut away bonds like that, you’ll end up with a _shriveled husk_.” 

And Taako watches the exact moment that the words leave his mouth, that look in Barry’s eye when his wagging tongue makes the connection faster than his head does. That split second where the two catch up with each other and the metaphorical light bulb flashes. Barry swears up a storm, on his feet and running through the Starblaster in an instant, Taako’s quick on his heel. They dash into Davenport’s office, where the gnome is just as engrossed in Lucretia’s journals as Barry had been moments ago and Lucretia lays curled up on the captain’s settee. Their Captain startles as Barry slams both hands onto the gnome’s desk. 

_“_ _She severed her fucking bonds!”_

Davenport is out of his chair and vaulting over his desk to stand beside Barry in mere moments--So fast that Barry nearly falls on his ass yanking himself away so the Captain doesn’t slam into him. The gnome’s brows furrow and he spares a single glance over at Lucretia, who has startled awake at the sudden noise, “What does that  _ mean _ ?” 

Barry seems to notice her for the first time since entering the room, lowering his voice slightly but losing none of it’s keen distress, “It means we can’t leave this plane.”

“Barold,” Davenport says sharply, “Explain yourself.”

Barry runs both hands through his hair, tugging desperately at the brown bangs that frame his face. Taako always teases that they make him look like an utter nerd, but their current disarray just makes him look pathetic. Barry turns his desperate gaze at Lucretia, stirring in the corner of the room though Taako does his best to ignore her.

It hurts to look for too long when she’s awake, instead Taako focuses on Barry. 

“Captain, she  _ severed her bonds _ , there’s nothing tying her to the engine anymore. If we leave, she  _ stays _ .” 

The room goes so quiet a pen could drop and it would sound like a redwood crashing to the ground. However, it isn’t Davenport who speaks first though Taako watches his mouth open and close wordlessly. The elf takes a small step backward, as his heart hammers in his chest at the horror slowly dawning on the three men in the room. 

“But she  _ recognizes _ us,” Taako interjects softly, desperately, “She still has bonds.” 

“Scraps of them maybe, but she’s--If they’re in there they’re being stifled, they’re being  _ starved _ ,” Barry’s hands tremble as he rubs his face, trying to be covert about the tears welling up but Taako recognizes his expression, “They’re  _ dying _ . Who knows how long it’ll be until she just--she just  _ forgets _ us.” 

“How do we  _ fix _ this?” Davenport’s voice cracks like a whip, but the undercurrent is there even if he doesn’t quite say it. 

_ How do we fix her?  _

Taako’s attention finally strays to Lucretia, because he can’t look at Barry right now. Desperate and frantic and so close to tears--For once Lucretia is actually the easier thing to look at in a room, the lesser emotional toil. 

When they make eye contact the doll wearing his sister’s skin perks slightly, a slow child-like smile spreading across her features. It’s decidedly wrong. Utterly fucked up and Taako feels a small satisfaction as he scowls and the doll’s smile slowly falls replaced by that constant look of sedate confusion that always colors her face. Like the world’s most fucked up baby doll, My Little Lucretia, or some utter  _ bullshit _ . 

Barry’s voice breaks the trance and Taako finally pries his eyes away from the waking comatose patient that is one of his best friends, “I just--I don’t know if we can, I’m almost done with my portion of the books and I think--I think she  _ meant _ for this to be the effect. She wants us to stay, she knows we won’t leave her behind.” 

There’s a thud and it takes a moment for Taako to realize it’s from Davenport, so focused on Lucretia and Barry that he hadn’t bothered to pay attention to his Captain falling to his knees. Gods, this is fucked, Taako thinks. Barry crying is one thing, Barry cries every time he sees a damn cockroach but watching _ Davenport  _ lose it is possibly one of the most terrifying things Taako has ever seen. 

“Lucretia--We could have--You didn’t  _ have _ to do this, why didn’t you talk to us, Lucretia? I-I’m your captain--Why didn’t you _ trust  _ me?” 

At the sound of her name the Lucretia-Lite in the corner perks up. She glances at the three of them, eyes traveling before she stands and glides over serenely. As if she’s not the fucking  _ problem _ here. Her head cants slightly, like a confused animal as she stares down at their captain heedless of the sheer level of utter disaster she has wrecked on all of them. That she’s trapped them all on this fucking plane, forced them to clean up their mess and make this plane their final stand or  _ abandon her _ . 

Taako feels like he’s going to be sick.


End file.
